South Africa

...lots if you're a sucker for news like I am!

 

- Day 2 of the Zuma rape trial was a complete non-event with only a few supporters turning up at the High Court and defence's request for a postponement till March 6 being granted. One bit of skandaal that has emerged is that Jay-Z the playboy may have fathered a love child with the Minah Shongwe, the sister of Transvaal deputy judge president Judge Jeremiah Shongwe (the most likely candidate to replace JP Ngoepe). This would make him an unacceptable candidate to the defense "[the defense] had some issues with him [Shongwe]", said Mike Hulley Zuma's attorney (although Hulley refused to explain why).

 

- Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya gets himself burnt after he tries to respond to charges of a conflict of interest by the M&G :

11) Please state why we should not regard the payment(s) by Majali/Imvume to your benefit, as well as the employment offered to Mrs Skweyiya by Majali, in late 2003/early 2004, as an attempt to influence you?
I conduct my work with integrity, and within the parameters of regulations and the law of the land. I would not be unduly influenced by anyone. (if you say so Doc.)

 

- This is a good one. The Zimbabwean ambassador to South Africa "has lodged a complaint with the South African Broadcasting Corporation for "negative" reporting on his country, the Herald newspaper said on Wednesday". Of course the current state of Zim has nothing to do with the country's government but rather because "of a bilateral disagreement with its erstwhile colonial master Britain."

 

-A bit of good news for bloggers and SA at large is that efforts are underway to end Telkom's controversial control of bandwidth in SA.

 

The government talks the talk; Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in a briefing at Parliament announced that cheaper broadband was a pillar of its growth strategy. But it is walking the walk too; soon-to-be promulgated legislation taking on Telkom’s SAT-3 monopoly states that the Minister of Communications, Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, will declare any exclusivity provision contained in licence agreements invalid.